The Real Housewives franchise is full of incredible moments, from parties that turn into huge arguments to friendships that seem on the verge of disaster. A lot of the time, fans learn many behind-the-scenes facts once each season has finished airing, like learning about Teddi Mellencamp being fired from RHOBH.
Some cast members disliked being on the franchise as they didn't have a great time, or they got involved in fights or situations that were very uncomfortable.
Every reality show has some involvement from producers, along with editing, but is that true for the Real Housewives franchise? It turns out that the producers do a lot more than fans think.
What The Producers Do
There are some Real Housewives moments that made fans cringe and no matter what is going on, viewers think that it's all very dramatic.
It turns out that sometimes, a producer will have an idea of a storyline that they want the season to follow.
According to Taste Of Reality, a producer explained, “I’ll put it into their heads, so they think about it organically. “I’ll trick them. Basically, I’ll sort of give them story beats a couple of days in advance or remind them what’s happening in real life and what we want to see in a subtle way, so they don’t know I’m doing it.”
The producer continued, "You simply prompt them, and you say, ‘Hey, so-and-so, I know you feel this way, tell him about that.’ In a weird way, you’re doing on-camera therapy, but all you’re actually doing is bringing out the tension that exists between these two people and letting them talk it out. I know this sounds bizarre, but I have seen relationships actually improve because of the intervention of the show in people’s lives.”
According to Taste Of Reality, the producers also tell cast members to show up at various times, so since their call times are different, that means that someone is going to be late. And that does cause fights or at least some trouble. The publication mentions that on RHOBH, Teddi and Dorit were getting together, and while Dorit said she was 20 minutes late, Teddi said that it was really 45 minutes.
There is a lot of talk about producers being involved in storylines.
Peggy Tanous, who was a cast member on RHOC, said, “We started meeting with producers to discuss storylines. I started getting anxiety thinking about all the forced drama that does happen on occasion," according to The Hollywood Reporter.
People also say that the producers of the franchise set up meetings before they happen: according to Cheat Sheet, a producer said, “Everything is LOOSELY planned in advance. “So to shoot anywhere that is not their privately owned home, you have to get permission from the owner and get a film permit DAYS/WEEKS in advance.”
Reality Blurred notes that the cast members aren't in control of the moments that are included in each episode. There have been times when they wanted something to be erased but that didn't happen: for example, Vicki Gunvalson balled when she was told that her mom died, and she didn't want that to be included in the episode, but it was. Denise Richards also wanted her alleged relationship with Brandi Glanville to stay quiet but it became part of that season of RHOBH.
According to Reality Blurred, when a new season is beginning, executive producers and cast members will get together and talk about what's happening for them. This could include changing careers or having something big happening, from a baby shower to a wedding. The producers want there to be a storyline for every cast member every season.
The Rules For The 'Real Housewives'
When it comes to producer involvement in the Real Housewives franchise, there are also rules that the cast members are given.
Women's Health reported that the cast members are supposed to go on the vacations that producers want them to go on. They can say no but it seems like in order to stay on the series, everyone needs to be willing to go.
The housewives also need to do "re-shoots" sometimes, which definitely proves that not everything is totally real.
There is also some talk about how the show shoots scenes as if a fictional story: according to Radar Online, Heather Thomson and Carole Radziwill were filming RHONY and people said that there was a reflector to get the best light for the scene. Someone who watched the scene being filmed told the publication, "It was like something you would see on the set of a movie or scripted television show. Carole and Heather stood on Meeting House Lane and waited for the crew to call 'rolling,' before walking toward the camera and sitting on a park bench. They even shot the scene twice!"
